


Harmless

by Theyisms



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Fantasy, Interns & Internships, Laboratories, M/M, Mermaid!Vanitas, Mild Gore, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Predator/Prey, Science Fiction, Sirens, Slow Build, Unethical Experimentation, Weird Biology, halloween fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 18:11:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21257492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theyisms/pseuds/Theyisms
Summary: Scientific hunch be damned. Roxas knew that Vanitas would never do anything to hurt him. If only Ansem would listen to him...





	Harmless

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween!

Roxas’ heart was practically beating out of his chest as the elevator came to a stop on B2. He wasn’t aware that the building even had a second basement level, but he knew that he had bigger things to worry about.

It was the first day of Roxas’ internship at the Radiant Garden Biological Research and Care facility, and he was dying to make a good first impression. He didn’t expect to be standing next to  _ the  _ Ansem Wise on his very first day, let alone have him personally escort him to where he would be working, and it was the direct source of his bad nerves. His palms were sweaty, his body felt hot—was he sweating?—his throat was tight and the flighty feeling in his stomach seemed to get worse with each second that passed.

Ansem stepped out of the elevator when the doors opened. Roxas tripped over his own shoe trying to follow after him, but quickly righted himself and met him at his side.

“Do you remember when I said the reason I chose you to assist me with these upcoming experiments was because your application impressed me the most?”

Roxas blinked stupidly. It was the first time Ansem had addressed him directly in the past ten minutes. “Y-Yeah. I mean, yes, Sir,” he quickly corrected himself.

Ansem kept his eyes forward as they continued down the long hallway. “I meant what I said. Even throughout our interview, you exceeded my expectations. However, if you thought securing this internship was the hardest part, you were wrong. You will continue to impress me or you will be dismissed from this project. Understood?”

Roxas nodded, trying to appear confident. “Yes, Sir.”

They came to a stop in front of a large metal door. On the side, he saw a rectangular touchpad in the shape of a hand and a small round device that looked like a hidden camera some creep would put in a hotel room. He didn’t see the third keypad until Ansem was already punching in numbers. One of the devices emitted four rapid, low pitched beeps, and Ansem stepped away. “Place your hand on the pad and look directly into this hole until you hear a noise. Do not blink while it scans.”

With a gulp, Roxas followed his instructions. A bright red line slowly passed over his right eye twice. The device made a high pitched noise a few moments later.

“Now you have access into the lab area,” Ansem told him.

Roxas looked up at the older man. He was still surprised by how he easily towered over him, but he put on a brave face. Maybe it would impress him if he didn’t look like he was about to faint. “Do we go in now?”

“Just a moment. Before you enter the laboratory, I must ask that you keep your mind open and your lips shut about what you see today, and every day for the rest of the summer. I don’t trust many very often, but I’m counting on you to work with me—not against me. And maybe together we can learn something new.”

Again, Roxas nodded. “Of course, Sir. It’s...really an honor to be working beside you. I have no doubt that this will be an incredible learning experience for me, as well as an amazing opportunity for you. I won’t make you regret this.”

Ansem smiled thinly. “Hold on to your doubt,” he said as he placed his hand on the pad and let the device scan his eye. “We live in a world filled with infinite possibilities. What you are about to see is just one of many.”

The device beeped, and the metal door began to rise. When it rose an inch above the floor, Roxas could hear what sounded like violent splashing and growling unlike any animal he’d ever heard. His brow furrowed as the door slowly revealed a large tank on the opposite end of the room.

Ansem entered as if what he were seeing wasn’t at all abnormal, but Roxas’ feet stayed firmly planted outside of the room’s threshold. Inside that tank was a long, black... _ creature _ . It was the only word that came to mind as Roxas gaped at the thing. He couldn’t see much of it due to its wild thrashing, but he knew that he’d never seen anything like it.

“Roxas?”

He snapped to attention at the sound of his name and quickly rushed inside. Ansem continued walking toward the tank. Several men were standing on ladders that leaned against the tank, holding onto large poles with what looked like metal clamps on the end. Several of those clamps were wrapped tightly around this creature, and even still, the men had trouble keeping it still. Roxas wanted to ask what they were doing, what this thing was, how and where they’d even caught it, but no words would come to him. He could only stare wide-eyed at the scene as they came closer and closer to the tank.

“Leave it,” Ansem commanded. “We won’t be working with it today.”

The men looked happy to release the creature and quickly retracted their poles. The second the creature was free, he smacked his hands against the glass and let out an awful, bone-chilling roar that Roxas would never be able to unhear.

Now that it was being still, he was able to get a better look at it. The creature was covered in shiny black scales from the top of its head down to its fin. It’s upper body appeared muscular while its lower half eventually narrowed and fanned out like that of a Siamese fighting fish. Roxas’ eyes slowly trailed back up its body to see its deep yellow eyes glaring daggers at him, it’s sharp, brown-tinted fangs bared, the gills on the side of its face puffing from exertion, its webbed hands dragging large talons against the glass and scratching it from the inside. Everything in him told him to run, but he couldn’t. Fear kept him locked in place.

“This is Experiment 0. Your job this summer will be to help me gather as much information about this creature as I can.”

Ansem continued to speak, but Roxas couldn’t concentrate. His attention flitted back and forth between this...this  _ abomination _ inside of the tank and his own terrified reflection trembling several feet away from the glass.

He didn’t think he would survive the summer.  
  


* * *

“Does it always do this?” Roxas asked slowly as he looked at the creature from the corner of his eye.

Ansem glanced up at it from beneath his glasses for all of one second. “Yes, it does that. We believe it is an intimidation tactic, considering it does this to any new face that enters the lab.”

Roxas felt a chill run down his spine as he turned his head to look directly at it. Its hands were pressed flat against the glass just like they had been on his very first day. He didn’t want to go anywhere near it, especially not when its eyes followed his every step. He swallowed hard. “There’s never been an instance where it’s...you know...gotten out of the tank?”

“Once,” Ansem explained as he picked up a pen. He began to walk, and Roxas was right on his heels. “One of my scientists neglected to remove the platform we use to feed it, so it climbed up the chain and flung itself onto the ground. It was a dangerous mistake, but we were able to learn that it can survive outside of the water for twelve minutes before needing to go back into the water.” Ansem walked to a table closer to the tank and began scribbling something onto a separate document. “We’ve also learned that it has incredible lower body strength. It is able to support its entire body weight on the bend of its tail like a snake. One scientist was unfortunate enough to suffer a blow to the arm from its tail and it snapped the bone in half.”

Roxas’ eyes widened. “What happened after that?”

“We were able to sedate it—”

“I’m sorry, I meant the scientist. With the broken arm?”

“Fully recovered, but immediately discontinued her work with Experiment 0 and the research facility altogether.”

Who could blame her? Roxas would leave too if he had his arm done in like a wooden plank in a karate movie. He wet his lips nervously as he looked at the creature again. It was still staring at him. “What exactly is it?”

“My team and I have gone back and forth a few times over how we would refer to it. It’s unofficial scientific name is Vir Abyssi. Forgive me if my Latin is rusty, but I believe it translates to  _ man of oceans. _ ”

“And why do you call it that?” Roxas asked, peeling his eyes away from black scales.

“It had the appearance of a human male when we found it.”

Roxas looked up to see one of the scientists standing beside him. This guy freaked him out because he could never hear him approach. The thing in the tank was enough of a scare. He didn’t need to be spooked out of his skin by a human every five minutes. Would it kill him to stomp around a bit?

He blinked rapidly and focused his attention on the slate haired man. Ienzo was his name. “What do you mean it looked like a man?”

“We believe it has the ability to change forms. This is an extremely predatory creature, so it may do this to lure in unassuming prey. No one can say for sure, but it behaves like a siren would.”

Roxas balked at the mere thought as he turned yet again to look at the creature. A soft chuckle of disbelief slipped past his lips. “You’re telling me that this thing is a mermaid?”

“We like to refrain from using gendered terms to refer to it but, for all intents and purposes, yes, it’s a mermaid. Or merman,” Ienzo explained. His tone was a lot warmer and much more patient than Ansem’s, and he was grateful that he wasn’t being called an idiot or childish for the way he reacted. He just found it a little hard to believe that a creature he spent his entire life believing was mythical... _ wasn’t _ . He locked eyes with the creature, and the fine hairs on the back of his neck stood up as it slowly tilted its head and bared its teeth.

“A mermaid…” Roxas muttered under his breath. “This is crazy. How did you find it?”

“It was discovered near the coast by a specialized team we sent out to investigate a rumored complaint that there was an “unholy weeping sound” in the waters at night. After three days of searching, it attacked one of our divers. They returned a week later with the proper equipment to catch it and now here we are. That was six months ago.”

“Six and a half months ago,” Ansem corrected him.

“Right. My mistake, Dr. Wise.”

Roxas shook his head and turned to face Ienzo again. “So that means—”

A loud boom echoed throughout the lab and shook the floor. All three men looked in the direction of the tank, and Roxas was surprised to see the creature pressed up against the glass in the corner of the tank closest to him. They locked eyes again, and the creature let out a low hiss, lips peeling back over its teeth as it snarled viciously. Roxas felt his stomach turn, and turn again.

“T-That’s something it does too, right?”

“It’s  _ never  _ done that before,” Ansem spoke up.

Ienzo hummed. “I wonder what could have set it off.”

Roxas quickly turned away. “Please tell me that that’s reinforced glass.”

Another boom sounded, and Roxas saw Ienzo flinch and take a step back. He turned his attention back to the tank and shuddered as the creature hissed in his direction.

“It hit the glass with its tail…” Ienzo said slowly, “To get your attention?”

His heart plummeted into his stomach. He wanted to ask more questions, but he was terrified to look away again.

“It's never behaved this way. Even when it appears angry at the scientists, it always growls at us. Never hisses. I’m not sure what it’s doing but it definitely wants  _ your  _ attention, Roxas.”

That explanation didn’t make him feel any better. He was sure he was going to vomit if he had to stay in the lab a second longer. The creature gave a very human like sneer before it swam away. He would have gone as far to say that it swam away with a bit of an attitude.

The second his brain was able to register that the creature was no longer staring at him, he bolted in the direction of the bathroom, shouldered his way into the first available stall, and emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

This internship was supposed to be amazing. So far, he’d nearly pissed himself twice and threw up because a bone-breaking mermaid practically threatened him. That was not what he’d signed up for.

The bathroom door opened. “Roxas? Are you okay?”

He sniffed and nodded weakly. It was a lie, but he was still determined to impress Ansem. “I’m okay,” he breathed. The image of the creature’s impossibly sharp fangs flashed in his mind again. He gagged, coughed, and dry heaved over the bowl. 

“Do not be discouraged. Stronger men than you have tried and found themselves in the exact position you are in now. When you feel like you’re ready, clean yourself up and return to the lab.”

If it wasn’t for the last remaining piece of Roxas’ self respect begging him not to, he would have made a mad dash for the elevator and never returned.

The fact that this was a paid internship also influenced his decision, but no one had to know that.

* * *

His fingers were slick with sweat as they nervously clutched onto a metallic wheel. After four long weeks at the research facility, Ansem finally allowed him to feed Experiment 0.

“You have to turn the wheel in order to lower the chain,” Ansem called. 

“Right,” he whispered, electing to ignore his condescending tone. He quickly wiped his hands on his lab coat and returned them to the wheel, slowly pulling it toward himself. The gears above him clanked loudly, and he exhaled deeply as a long chain with a black platform attached to it slowly lowered into the water. On that platform were large chunks of raw meat that smelled like it had been sitting in the sun for two days.

Roxas pulled at the wheel until it no longer turned. The platform stopped at the top of the water, and for a while, nothing happened. He stared at the tank and wondered if the creature was sleeping in it’s little hideaway hole that it swam into whenever it didn’t want to be seen. He looked at the other scientists in confusion. “Is it going to eat?”

A flash of black caught his attention. He looked over to see the creature swim toward the top of the tank, grab the largest piece of meat, and dart back into the cave-like structure. It did this a few more times until the platform was empty. It moved faster than Roxas could blink. If he would have seen something like that on a well lit pier at night, he would have tried to pass it off as a trick of the light. This thing was strong  _ and  _ fast and he had never been faced with anything more horrifying.

Mermaid his ass. The mermaids he’d seen on TV were usually cute and friendly. This... _ Vir Abyssi _ was more like a goblin-fish hybrid from hell.

“Good. Now retract the chain, quickly.”

He pushed the wheel in the opposite direction as quickly as he could. The creature didn’t come out again. Roxas huffed. At least he would have a break from its piercing glare.

“Good.” Ansem looked down at his watch and sighed. “It’s getting late. I need you to restock the gloves and lock up the tank.”

“Yes, Dr. Wise,” he called. He quickly made his way over to the storage room and grabbed two boxes of medium and large gloves, then made his way over to the main entrance.

He was a lot less shaky and nervous than he was when he’d first arrived at the lab, but he was still very much unnerved by the mermaid that seemed to take a liking to him. Or rather, the demon spawn that stalked him for reasons he might never know.

Sucking his teeth out of habit, he ripped the top of the glove box open and started transferring them to the empty box. When the large glove box looked full enough, he switched to the medium and did the same thing. It took a little less than five minutes to do, but any time spent  _ not  _ looking at that tank was considered precious.

He returned the half empty boxes to the storage room and walked over to the tank. Just when he thought the creature would stay inside its cave, it quickly swam out and planted itself to the glass. Roxas flinched at the boom it made, glad that it didn’t shake the floor that time. He groaned. “I just need to close your cage. Can you let me relax?” he pleaded with it.

It blinked at him. For the first time since he’d entered the lab, he was able to see its transparent lids slip over each eye one at a time. He caught another chill. “Please. I just want to do what I need to do and go home.”

He started walking toward the left side of the tank. The creature quickly followed him, glaring at him as if he’d been the one to capture it. Roxas gulped and tried to walk to the right, but the creature followed him again. It didn’t hiss or growl or hit the tank. Instead it just floated in place, shoulders pulled back, head lifted high, rounded eyes studying him carefully. He felt his skin crawl as the creature looked him up and down.

Even if he hadn’t signed a document swearing an oath that he would never breathe a word of what went on in this laboratory, no one would believe him if he told them that he’d been sized up by his not-so-secret mermaid admirer. It was made even worse with the knowledge that this thing apparently didn’t act like this with any of the other members of the lab. It was targeting him and  _ only  _ him.

That was when Roxas decided that he’d had enough. He marched up to the tank until he was face to face with it. “Listen,” he growled, not even sure if it could understand English, “I don’t know what you want, but you will not torment me every single day. I am not a toy, I am not here to play games with you. Leave me alone.”

The creature hissed at him. Roxas could see blood and shredded meat between its fangs, but he wasn’t deterred.

“I don’t care!” he snapped as if he understood it. “I  _ don’t _ care if you’re mad! You think I’m not?! You’re freaking me out!”

“You are arguing with a fish, Roxas,” Ansem sighed.

It took every bit of strength for him to not blurt out  _ make it stop staring at me _ . He ignored Ansem’s words and glared at the being on the other side of the glass. “Stop it. Throw a fishy fit for all I care, but you need to stop it.”

The creature blew bubbles at him.

“Okay, you fucking smart alleck—”

“ _ Roxas, _ ” Ansem snapped. “Lock up the tank like I told you to.”

The blond took a deep breath, counted to six, and released it. That was not the way to impress Ansem. He probably looked like he was losing his mind. He reluctantly ripped his eyes away from the creature and marched toward the left side of the tank to do as he was told.

Before he could make it there, the creature quickly swam up to the surface and draped its arms over the tank. Hot panic gripped at Roxas’ heart as he stumbled backwards. “D-Dr. Wise!”

He looked back at Ansem, who looked a little less shaken, but still noticeably uncomfortable. “I’m going to get the sedative. You stay put and do not—”

The creature hissed loudly, then turned its attention to Roxas. He expected it to hiss again the next time it opened its mouth, but it didn’t. Instead, he heard the most beautiful singing he’d ever heard in all his life. The panic slowly disappeared, and the tension in his body vanished as he stared up at the creature in awe. How could something so terrifying make such an angelic sound?

“Wow...” he whispered to himself. He felt his legs slowly drag him closer to the tank and didn’t think anything of it. The creature was singing to him, and it was beautiful. His gut twisted as he lazily staggered toward the tank. At the top of it, the creature slowly stretched its dripping arms out to him.

The song calmed him like an infant hearing its mother’s voice and sank deep into the darkest parts of his being, leaving no corner untouched. He felt warm and full, like no evil could ever touch him. He felt...protected. There wasn’t any more anxiety or nausea; there were no ill feelings within him. A single tear dripped down his cheek, and he smiled as he took a couple more steps toward the tank.

The creature curled its webbed fingers inward, beckoning him closer. He nodded silently as he made his way toward the ladder that leaned up against the tank. He didn’t mind getting closer. He  _ wanted  _ to get closer.

He took his first step up the ladder, and the song was cut short by a loud growl. Roxas felt something leave him the moment the song stopped. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head to rid himself of the sudden drowsiness he felt, but the cold, empty feeling remained. Inside the tank, the creature ripped something out of its shoulder. He watched carefully as it attempted to swim back up to the surface. Its movements had slowed. By the time it actually reached the surface, it looked too weak to swim. It slowly floated down to the bottom of the tank and lied there motionless.

That didn’t sit well with Roxas. It was too still. It didn’t look like it was even still alive. He turned to Ansem, who was holding an odd looking contraption in his hands.

“I can not believe this,” Ansem said softly. After a few beats of silence, he let out a loud laugh. “If I were to make an educated guess to explain what just happened, I’d say it is infatuated with you, Roxas. That would explain its odd behavior around you, it’s antics to get your attention, and its controlled behavior around you.”

Roxas’ eyes widened. “So it...likes me?”

“It’s possible,” he said as he sat the contraption on the table. “It could very well be trying to eat you, but I will have to conduct a few more experiments before I can say for sure. Now, you do not  _ have  _ to, but I would greatly appreciate it if you would aid me by spending some time in close proximity with it.”

A few hours ago, the suggestion alone would have made Roxas gag. It didn’t for some reason. He saw it as an opportunity to not only impress Ansem, but to get close enough to hear it sing that song again. Or maybe a different song. Or several. He nodded confidently. “I’m here to assist you however possible.”

“Fantastic. I can assure you that I will speak very highly of you at the end of this internship. Whatever job you seek, I’ll make sure you get it.”

Roxas’ eyes widened. Would he really do that? “I-I...thank you, Doctor. I’m—”

“But for now, I need you to close the tank.”

He rolled his eyes at himself. He was supposed to do that before he’d gotten distracted. “Yes, sir.”

* * *

He wasn’t sure what to expect when he entered the lab, but he surely did not expect the tank to be empty. His brow furrowed as he walked over to the nearest scientist. “Dr. Even?”

The man hummed in acknowledgement, but didn’t lift his eyes from whatever paper he was writing on. It seemed like Ienzo was the only scientist there that bothered to look at him when he spoke.

“Is the ah... _ Vir Abyssi _ still in the tank?”

“It is, but it hasn’t come out of its cave all day. It may have something to do with the tranquilizer Dr. Wise used on it, but we’re not sure yet.”

Roxas looked around the lab. “Where’s Dr. Wise?”

“He’s taking a call in his office. He didn’t leave any instructions for you this time so you can have a seat until he’s finished.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Even hummed again. Roxas held back a disappointed sigh as he walked over to an empty table and took a seat. Usually, Ansem would have him busy with some mindless task until he was actually ready to do something with him. He sat quietly for nearly ten minutes, fingers drumming restlessly against the table. His eyes darted to the tank, to the office door, and back to the tank. Time seemed to drag on forever, and the lab was a little too quiet that day.

He folded his arms on top of the table and rested his chin on them. A few more seconds of silence passed. He exhaled deeply through his nose as his foot began to bounce. He didn’t know why he suddenly felt so nervous. No, it was more than just nervousness. It was a feeling of dread settling deep into his bones and making his heart race. Not even his first day of the internship was this bad. What had gone wrong?

“Will you stop that?!”

Roxas flinched at the sound of Even’s hiss, turning to look at him with wide eyes. “S-Sir?”

“Your shoe. It’s making that horrible squeaking and this lab echoes. Cut it out,” he snapped.

He mumbled a soft apology and firmly planted both of his feet on the ground.

Even returned to his work. Roxas’ eyes returned to the tank. Still no sight of the mermaid. What would it take for it to come out? Was it really because of the tranquilizer or was it hiding because it was upset with Ansem? Truthfully, Roxas might have been upset with him too if he were in its place. It wasn’t doing anyone any harm. Roxas didn’t feel like he was in any danger at all despite being wildly uncomfortable in its presence during his first few weeks in the lab.

It was a major overreaction on Dr. Wise’s part. It was self sabotage. He’d said he wanted to learn as much about the creature as he could, yet he tranquilized it the second it started to do something that he didn’t understand. There had to be a difference between taking precautions and reacting solely out of fear. 

Ansem Wise, a widely respected scientist, panicked at the thought of the unknown instead of observing and investigating. Roxas...lost a bit of respect for him. That poor creature didn’t deserve what he’d done to it. He could have hurt it. He could have  _ killed  _ it.

The sound of a door opening caught Roxas’ attention. He sat up straight as Ansem entered the room. “Ah, good morning. Glad to see you’re on time.”

Roxas was always on time. Why would he expect any different? “Good morning, Dr. Wise. What’s going on today?”

Ansem briefly looked at the tank and huffed out a breath of annoyance. He started toward the tank, and Roxas quickly left his seat to follow him. “We’ve been trying to lure it out of its cave over the weekend, and yet it refuses to. We know it is awake and is simply ignoring us.”

As he got closer to the tank, Roxas could see little black shards at the bottom of the tank that weren’t there the last time he’d looked. Were those its scales? “How can you be sure? It might be hurt.”

“If it can withstand up to 0.4 amps of electricity without even flinching, it can withstand a couple doses of horse tranquilizer,” Ansem spoke calmly.

Roxas’ heart skipped a beat as he looked up at the older man. That didn’t sit right with him. They were supposed to be studying it, not torturing it. “You electrocuted it?”

“We conducted an experiment to learn about its pain threshold and it yielded very useful information. You should not be surprised.”

“In what world will a mermaid—?!”

“Vir Abyssi.”

He grit his teeth. “...Why do you need to know how much electricity a  _ Vir Abyssi _ can take? It lives in the water. When will it ever come in contact with lethal currents?”

Ansem stared blankly at him, though Roxas could see the exhaustion in his auburn eyes clear as day. “We need to figure out how strong it is and what its weaknesses are in case it ever escapes again. The last thing we need is to be caught off guard and have this amazing discovery end in casualties,  _ Roxas _ .”

A growl could be heard from inside the tank. Roxas looked toward the cave as a dark swirl slowly edged towards them. His heart skipped another beat. Was it finally coming out?

Its glowing yellow eyes pierced through the darkness and locked on him. He took a step closer to the tank and watched as the creature emerged. The first thing he noticed was its head. It was once covered in black scales, but as he stood there looking at it, it looked like black...hair. It swam forward, and Roxas was shocked to see more of the scales had been replaced with what looked like human skin. It had human features that it didn’t have before: a pointed nose, small ears, a sharp jaw, defined cheekbones, thick eyebrows, full eyelashes...he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It looked exactly like a man.

The creature swam up to the glass wall that separated them and stopped right in front of Roxas. It tilted its head the way it always did, and he nearly lost his breath.

“So it’s able to shed its scales and take on a half human appearance,” Ansem mumbled. Roxas quickly looked down to see that, yes, its tail still remained. “This is amazing. Roxas, wait here.”

He’d heard him, but figured there was no use in responding. He was fascinated by what he was seeing. It locked eyes with him, and Roxas found himself getting lost in them.

“You’re beautiful...” he whispered.

The creature pressed its nose up against the glass and smiled at him.

* * *

“Okay, Roxas, try to interact with it. Remember to act as naturally as you can.”

It was hard for him to act natural when there were two large cameras pointed at him. The whole thing was awkward. Even if he could get himself to act natural, the creature knew it was being recorded. Did Ansem think it was stupid?

Roxas released a breath as he stared back at the creature. For once, it wasn’t looking at him. Its eyes constantly switched back and forth between each camera with a look of disgust on its face. (It was much easier for Roxas to decipher what it may have been feeling now that it looked a bit more like he did.) He cleared his throat and pulled at his lab coat. “Um...hey.”

The creature looked at him for all of two seconds before glaring at the cameras again. “You don’t have to worry about those. They’re not going to do anything to you.”

It looked at him again. Its eyes lingered on him a bit longer this time. Roxas attempted to smile as he touched his hand to the glass. “It’s okay. No one’s going to hurt you or shoot anything at you. I just want to talk to you. Look at me.”

The creature showed its sharp teeth to the camera on the left and slowly dragged its eyes away with a hiss. It listened. It actually listened to him. “Amazing...so you understand me?”

It blinked slowly. Of course it couldn’t respond. He should have known that.

“Er...put your hand on the glass if you can understand what I’m saying.”

Slowly, the creature lifted its webbed hand and placed it to the glass where Roxas’ hand was. Its talons were still there, but they didn’t scare him like they had before. He felt himself smile. “That’s good. I’m surprised you can hear me...that we can hear each other through this thick glass. Do I sound muffled to you? You can nod if I do.”

Its head tilted again. It understood English, but some things were still lost on it. Ansem should have been glad to learn that. Maybe if he were nicer to it, he could have gotten close enough to learn that himself. Roxas quickly dismissed those thoughts and slowly nodded his head in demonstration. The creature mimicked the gesture. “This means yes.” He stopped to shake his head. “This means no.”

The creature nodded its head vigorously.

“I do sound muffled to you?”

It nodded again.

“Wow. You can really understand me,” he spoke softly. It was more to himself than to the creature, but he watched it nod again. 

“Can you speak at all?”

A frown pulled at its mouth, and Roxas feared he’d upset it. Its brow furrowed as it leaned its head forward, lips parting to let out a low pitched whine. It almost sounded like a whale song. The creature appeared to grimace as it shook its head.

“That’s okay,” Roxas laughed. “You tried your best.”

The way it nodded almost seemed happy. Roxas was happy for it. That was probably its first positive interaction with a human. Could that be why it tried so hard to get his attention before? He’d heard somewhere that dogs could sense kindness in people, but what about mermaids? Could this creature sense that, beneath the fear and repulsion, Roxas didn’t want to hurt or torture it like the rest of the scientists?

“Keep talking to it,” Ansem ordered. Roxas held back a sigh. He wouldn’t be acting naturally if he forced himself to talk to it. Which one did he want more?

He took his hand off of the glass. The creature did as well. “Are there more like you out there somewhere? Do you have a family?”

Yellow eyes quickly darted to each camera. When they returned to Roxas, he frowned and blew out a stream of bubbles. Roxas slowly turned to look at Ansem, who stared at them intently. “I don’t think it’s going to answer while the cameras are on.”

Ansem quickly picked up a pen and started to write. “If there are others, it’s most likely trying to protect them. They’re probably in the same area. Just imagine if we could find another and study them together.”

A loud bang echoed inside the tank, and Roxas looked to see the creature glaring at Ansem. Roxas almost cursed. “It can  _ hear _ you. And understand you. I don’t think it wants that.”

“It is an animal, Roxas. It doesn’t have any wants.”

“But it’s clearly sentient and capable of communicating—”

“Continue talking to it.”

He huffed. Of course he’d cut him off again. He never wanted to listen. The only thing that mattered in Dr. Wise’s laboratory was Dr. Wise, his opinion, and  _ his  _ research. Roxas was still grateful for the opportunity, but he was starting to feel…

Never mind. He didn’t have any right to complain. Out of all the applications he’d gone through, Ansem chose him. He saw something in Roxas. It was neither the time or place to worry about his feelings getting hurt because Ansem was  _ a little  _ rude. He could handle it. He’d prepared for this.

“Okay,” he whispered to himself as he raked his fingers through his hair in irritation. He stopped when he noticed the creature do the same. Roxas lowered his hand to his side. So did the mermaid. He raised it to the glass. The mermaid did as well. He narrowed his eyes. “Are you...copying me?”

The creature shook its head. Roxas decided to test his theory by placing both hands flat on the glass. Sure enough, the mermaid did the same. “You  _ are  _ copying me,” he chuckled.

Again, it shook his head. Roxas started to wonder if it had confused yes with no, until he saw the smallest hint of a smile on its mouth. He stared in awe, gently shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re playing games with me.”

The creature stuck its tongue out at him.

“You’re such a little shit…” Roxas grinned.

A loud beep sounded somewhere behind him. Roxas recognized it as the daily alarm for lunch. Ansem sighed deeply as he stopped the alarm. “You’ve been a big help, Roxas. Close the tank and head to the cafeteria.”

The creature’s playfulness faded, and it whined as he backed away from the tank. Roxas’ chest tightened at the thought of leaving it there. “I’ll be back before you know it. Sit tight.”

It backed away from the glass and slowly retreated into its cave. Roxas stared at the dark hole for five long seconds before he moved to close the tank.

The creature did not come back out when he returned from his lunch break.

* * *

“Roxas...”

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that someone was trying to get his attention, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of the mermaid. It swam in tight circles and twirled around in its tank because it knew Roxas was watching. It was showing off for him and he thought it was the cutest thing.

According to the other scientists, it was only this active when Roxas was around. It definitely cooperated more, which irritated Ansem to his core, but he couldn’t complain about the amount of results he was getting. Roxas had proven himself to be an essential part of his research. He  _ needed  _ him.

“ _ Roxas! _ ”

He blinked rapidly, reluctantly tearing his eyes away from the tank. “Sir?”

Ansem sighed deeply. “I think I actually preferred it when you were terrified of the thing. You didn’t space out nearly as much,” he spat.

“I’m sorry—”

“I don’t need you to be sorry, I need you to be present. Physically  _ and  _ mentally. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you are indispensable because this beast has grown attached to you. If you feel as though you cannot keep up, you can go home.”

Roxas swallowed hard as his face heated up in embarrassment. He couldn’t explain why he kept spacing out like that. He couldn’t explain why he was suddenly so angry with Dr. Wise or why he got a sense of satisfaction out of knowing that the creature didn’t want to cooperate with him. The only thing he could do was apologize and that clearly wasn’t enough.

“I’ll do better, Doctor,” he said quietly. “I shouldn’t have been distracted and it won’t happen again.”

“It had better not.” He started walking, and Roxas quietly followed behind him just as he had during his first week of the internship. Ansem sighed again as he approached a table with a manila folder sitting on it. “I was going to say that I wanted you to interact with it face to face, but that would require you to be alert and focused. I can’t have you spacing out while you’re inches away from a predator.”

“I won’t. I’ll be careful around him.”

Ansem gave him a look. “I don’t remember any of us confirming its gender.”

Shit. 

“I-I know! I just feel that it responds better to me when I refer to it as a he. He let me give it a name as well and he loves it.”

“You expect me to believe that it told you it likes the name you’ve given it when it can barely understand the difference between yes and no?”

Roxas rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced at the tank. “He didn’t exactly tell me, but we’re aware that he understands English so we have to assume—”

“We are far too deep into this to be making assumptions, Roxas. This is a laboratory, not a fairy tale. If you cannot approach me with hard evidence—something that I can see or record—it is of no use to me. It does not have a name. It has no genitalia as far as we know, so it has no gender.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works…”

Ansem dropped his pen onto the table and turned to face Roxas directly. He knew that he was pissing him off, but he couldn’t help himself. At the start of the internship, Ansem had told him that he wanted the two of them to work together. In order for two people to collaborate on something,  _ both  _ of them have to bring something to the table. Roxas had been feeling like everything he brought to the table just wasn’t good enough for him.

“All right,” Ansem spoke. “You have my attention. I want you, with all your years of experience in the medical field, to tell me how gender works.”

He couldn’t say anything. There was no need to embarrass himself further.

“That’s what I thought. You have not experienced even a  _ fourth  _ of what I have. You will not come into my laboratory and tell me how things do and do not work. Do you understand me?”

A lump formed in his throat as he struggled to blink the tears away. He absolutely did not want to cry, even if he did deserve to be talked to like that. “Yes, Dr. Wise…”

Ansem turned back to his folder. “You are on very thin ice, boy. Tread lightly.”

He nodded weakly, opting not to speak. Most of his strength was spent holding back tears. He didn’t have any left to keep his voice from cracking.

“Open the tank and get the ladder. Despite your little tantrum, I still need to get some work done today.”

Roxas inhaled deeply and cleared his throat. He needed a breather before he did anything. “Can I step out for a minute?”

“Your only options are to do as I said or go home. If you choose the latter, you won’t be allowed back.”

Roxas looked away as a tear fell from his lid. He quickly scrubbed it away with his sleeve. It took him a few moments to collect himself. When he did, he silently approached the lever to open the tank. He hated that he was so fragile. That was nothing to cry over. He wasn’t even sad. Frustrated, embarrassed, and annoyed? Yes. Sad? Not at all. He just wanted Ansem to  _ listen _ to him.

The tank was opened, and Roxas slowly climbed the ladder to the top of the tank. The creature met him there, and he smiled sadly at it. “Hey Vanitas…”

It spun in a circle and swam close to him. As it looked at him, the pleasant smile slowly faded from its face. It looked confused. A couple more tears dripped down Roxas’ face. Its eyes glanced at Ansem and immediately hardened.

“He’s not going to do anything. He just wants me to talk to you.”

The creature... _ Vanitas  _ pulled its hand out of the water and touched a single finger to the tear trail on his cheek. A low growl rumbled in its throat as it bared its teeth.

Vanitas understood that he was upset and that it was Ansem’s fault.

“I’m okay.” He tried to smile brighter, but the tears continued to flow. He knew he wasn’t fooling either of them. “See? All better,” he sniffs.

The creature growled at him. It was the first time in a long wild that it had done so, but Roxas was no longer afraid of the sound.

“Don’t be mean. I said I’m okay.”

Vanitas’ eyebrows twitched in what looked to be anger. Its eyes quickly searched around for something, head turning in different directions. It must not have found what it was looking for because it looked back to him with sad eyes. It took an audible breath, much to Roxas’ surprise, and began to sing softly. He recognized the song from before and smiled. “That’s a really lovely song,” Roxas slurred. 

He shut his eyes as he listened. He could feel Vanitas’ cold, wet hands gently cup his face. They felt like leather against his skin but he didn’t mind. It was comfortable. Roxas had never felt more relaxed. His heartbeat had slowed, his breaths were deep and even, and all of the tension in his neck and shoulders melted away.

The singing seemed to grow louder in one ear. He realized, after a couple seconds, that Vanitas had moved closer and was singing directly into his left ear. Even though the rest of him felt at ease and was completely comfortable being this close to it, his skin prickled at the close proximity. the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and his fingers twitched almost anxiously. It didn’t make sense, but he didn’t want to question it in case thinking about it ruined the peace that the song brought him.

Roxas didn’t flinch when he felt something warm and full of slime curl against the part of his cheek that wasn’t covered by a webbed hand. He didn’t know what had happened, but he didn’t want to know. Did it really matter?

“—right now or I will be forced to use the tranquilizer!”

The song came to an abrupt halt and was replaced by the sound of a loud roar. It echoed around the lab and inside of Roxas’ skull, but he didn’t feel any different. He still felt calm, warm,  _ safe. _

Leather hands snatched away from Roxas’ face as if they had been burned. He opened his eyes and watched Vanitas disappear beneath the water and retreat to his cave in a quick flash of black.

“Roxas, do you hear me?! Get down from there!”

Slowly, Roxas descended the ladder. He blinked lazily at what looked like an empty tank. He moved his leg to walk towards it, but was quickly pulled away by his upper arm. He blinked again, and found himself staring up at a very angry Dr. Wise. He opened his mouth to say something, probably to yell at him about his incompetence, but stopped for some reason. “Roxas?”

“Yes…?”

Ansem looked confused. Roxas couldn’t understand why. After a few seconds of silence, Ansem’s features relaxed. He released his grip on Roxas’ upper arm with a sigh. “Why didn’t I see this before? That song is affecting you. It makes you drowsy, unfocused, and is probably the cause of the shift in your mood as well. Clever little creature…”

Roxas narrowed his eyes. “...Huh?”

“And you haven’t snapped out of whatever trance it put you in as quickly as you did the last time…come.” Ansem hurriedly pulled Roxas to an eyewash station, pulled the lever, and forced Roxas’ face into the water. The cold water shocked him out of his daze and he sputtered as the water got in his and nose. 

This lasted for a while before Ansem let him stand up. He grabbed the edges of the eyewash station to brace himself as he gasped, panted, and snorted. Ever so slowly, he could feel himself start to connect with reality again.

“Are you with us now?”

Roxas exhaled shakily as he looked up at him. “Y-Yeah. I’m...I’m here.”

Ansem folded his arms over his chest. “When that creature sings to you, it puts you in a trance like state. This is the second time it's done this but it is the first time it has had direct physical contact with you. It is the first time that it has licked you. I was not sure before but I am positive that this creature is a natural predator and has chosen you for its next meal.”

Roxas tilted his head. “You’re saying it’s trying to  _ eat  _ me?”

“It’s a possibility—a strong one. I can feel this in my gut and my gut feeling is never wrong.”

Hearing that made Roxas frown. “I thought you only had time for facts and evidence?”

Ansem’s eyes hardened. “It is a fact that the creature is fascinated with you. It is a fact that it sings to you and  _ only  _ you. It is a fact that it changed its appearance after you began working alongside me. It is a fact that it got dangerously close to you and the evidence is that muck on the side of your face. If I were to take an educated guess, I would say that it is trying to lure you into the tank.”

That couldn’t be true. If Vanitas wanted him in the tank, he would have snatched Roxas in when he had the opportunity. But he didn’t. He sang to him because he was sad. He was fascinated with him because he liked him. He changed his appearance to make Roxas more comfortable. It got close to him because it wanted to and it licked him because...it probably didn’t know how to comfort him. Or maybe he was confused by his tears?

Roxas shook his head slowly. He didn’t want to say it out loud for fear of Ansem getting upset again but he was wrong. Dead wrong. Vanitas didn’t want to eat him. He was just trying to understand him.

Vanitas liked him. And maybe Roxas liked that he did.

* * *

Roxas’ leg bounced as he waited for Ansem to return. He said he had some questions to ask him and had instructed him to sit and wait for him, but he had been gone for twenty minutes. He was sitting with his back to the tank, and for some reason that put him on edge. It felt like Ansem was deliberately trying to keep him from seeing Vanitas. For the past week and a half, he’d been busying Roxas with meaningless task that had nothing to do with the tank or the creature inside it. He couldn’t feed it, talk to it, or even get a good enough glimpse at it. They refused to open the tank when he was in the room and it was  _ really  _ getting on Roxas’ nerves.

“Again with the squeaking?!”

Roxas flinched as Even yelled at him. “Sorry, Doctor…”

He also got the feeling that he was getting on everyone’s nerves.

Ansem returned from his office, grabbed a nearby chair and approached Roxas to sit it down in front of him. He took a seat, and Roxas noticed the large white binder in his hands. He dropped it on top of the table next to them and quickly flipped through the papers that were practically spilling out of it. Ansem worked quickly to arrange the sheets of paper in an order that only made sense to him. Once done, he took out a clean sheet from the very back of the binder and placed it on top.

“Remember to answer these questions honestly,” Ansem spoke as he clicked his pen. “I need the absolute truth, even if the truth makes you uncomfortable. Understand?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Behind him, he heard the creature whine. He grit his teeth.

“Why did you think it was necessary to name this creature?”

Roxas narrowed his eyes in thought. He hadn’t expected that to be the first question. He thought Ansem was going to ask him his opinion on the internship. “Um...I just did? It didn’t seem fair that he didn’t have a name.”

“And the masculine pronoun. What went through your mind when you started referring to it as a he?”

He shrugged. “His new appearance. He didn’t really have any defining features before, not that I know what defines male and female in the mer—ah, Vir Abyssi species. He just...he looked like a guy when he shed his scales so I called him he.”

“You’ve said before that it responds better to he and him. Have you tried referring to it by any other pronouns?”

“I asked him if he was a she and he hit the glass with his tail so I guess that meant no.”

Ansem nodded and he quickly wrote something down. “Would you say that you refer to it as he for its benefit or yours?”

“His...I think. I’m the only one who does it, and it seems to make him happy. Even if he didn’t have any reaction to either I would refer to him as  _ they  _ because it’s kinda dehumanizing to keep using  _ it _ , you know?”

“It’s..._not _human, Roxas,” Ansem spoke slowly. “A humanoid hybrid at best, but it is still not human. It looks like a fish, behaves like a fish, and swims like a fish. _It is a_ _fish._”

Roxas shook his head. Did he really just say that out loud? “Right. Sorry—that was stupid.”

Ansem wrote something else down. Roxas drummed his fingers against his knees as he waited. His mind wandered back to the tank and he wondered what Vanitas was doing. He wasn’t making any more noise or hitting the tank to get his attention. Did he think Roxas was mad at him? He would look at him if he could. He would be right in front of the glass asking him more questions and teaching him new things if Ansem would let him.

_ Why  _ was he not  ** _letting him?_ **

“You would say you are attached to this creature, yes?”

“I wouldn’t say that I’m attached to him. I just don’t think he’s being treated fairly. I think he’s alone and uncomfortable in that tank. I doubt he appreciates being  _ electrocuted  _ for the sake of science—”

“A necessary experiment,” Ansem tells him.

“Right. You need to see how much electricity it can withstand  _ now _ so that when the mermaid apocalypse is upon us, you’ll know exactly how much to use in order to kill them,” he said with a tight smile.

Ansem scribbled away in his notes. He wanted to take his pen and chuck it across the room. “I hope you’re aware of how ridiculous you sound.”

“Not nearly as ridiculous as a scientist,” Roxas mutters under his breath.

“Why are you here?”

Roxas’ heart almost dropped. For a moment, he’d feared Ansem had heard him. “Excuse me?”

“Allow me to rephrase: what was your deciding factor for taking this internship?”

He could barely remember why he’d wanted to be here in the first place. It was everything  _ but  _ what he’d expected. Sure, he’d learned a lot from all of the scientists involved in this project, including Dr. Wise himself, but…

“It seemed like a great opportunity to do something I loved while working with someone I looked up to. I’ve been interested in biology and zoology since I was a child and you were one of the most important names that have stuck with me since then. Achievements and awards aside, I’ve always liked how you never let anything stand in the way of you and an unanswered question. You always figure out exactly what you want to know and that has inspired me so much and pushed me to do and be my best in...pretty much every area in my life. I didn’t expect to be working so closely with you when I got here. I thought being in the same building with you was enough. Seeing you work and watching how you approach different situations has been…”

Maybe a month ago, he would have told him that it was a privilege, and that he enjoyed working alongside him. But Ansem told him to be honest.

“It’s been an eye-opening experience. I’ve learned a lot since I first walked through those doors and I’m really glad I have.”

That was the honest to god truth. He has learned a lot. He’s learned that his idol is not perfect, nor is he always right. He is temperamental, prideful, arrogant, self-absorbed, and lacks empathy. He’s learned that he doesn’t want to be anything like him while he pursues his degree. God help him if he ever starts to think or act like  _ Ansem Wise _ .

“And how has your opinion changed since your first day?”

Drastically.

Roxas lowered his eyes to the floor. “I’ve realized that we don’t exactly see eye to eye like I initially thought we would. We tend to disagree a lot and I wouldn’t say we have the healthiest debates. It’s no walk in the park and it’s not the “fun hands-on activity” I was told it would be, but it’s not the worst thing I’ve experienced.”

Ansem switched the sheet he was writing on with a new, clean one and continued to write. He looked like he was writing a novel.

“Would you agree that your mood has changed since working here?”

“Absolutely,” Roxas frowned.

“And is that due to the environment or the song you heard from the Vir Abyssi?”

Roxas opened his mouth to respond, but stopped once the second half of the question registered in his brain. “What does...his song have to do with anything?”

“Do you think its song has made you irritable, defensive, and/or protective of the creature?”

“No? I mean I care about his well being just like I do for everyone else, but I’ve felt that way since I first saw it.”

Ansem chuckled. “You used to tremble and sweat in his its presence, vomited, and argued with it because it wouldn’t stop staring at you.”

Roxas didn’t remember any of that. That didn’t even sound like something he would do. Sure, he looked a little scary at first, but he only ever felt comfortable around Vanitas. “I don’t remember that.”

Ansem immediately stopped writing. “You don’t...do you remember what I told you before introducing you to it on your first day?”

“Yes. You told me that you wanted us to work together and to keep an open mind. I can recall everything you’ve said to me, but I don’t remember being afraid of him.”

Apparently Roxas said something important because it caused Ansem to start writing again. This time, he wrote outside the margins and picked up a highlighter to trace over things he’d written. When he was finished, he leaned to his right to look at a different sheet and underlined something.

“Okay. You are not going to like what I have to say, but I want you to listen to me. Please hold your comments and questions until the end because it is important.”

Roxas’ brows pinched together. Not once since he had been working there had he seen Ansem look so uncomfortable. “Sure…”

The older man took a deep breath. “I doubt you will agree, but your behavior and attitude have changed ever since you heard that creature’s song. I didn’t realize it until I saw you in a daze the last time that it did. You were completely out of it. Given your answers to the questions I just asked you, I can see that it is has affected your memory as well. You do not remember being afraid of it, you are defensive, angry, and have shown signs of being affectionate towards it and protective of it. I have no choice but to believe that this creature is trying to get into your head so that it can make a meal out of you.”

Roxas rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair. “Not this again…”

“Roxas—”

“I’m sorry, but do you honestly expect me to believe that someone as sweet and docile as he is would try to eat me? Sorry if that sounds just a _little _fucking crazy but I disagree.”

“You also keep referring to it as if it were human. Can you not see that?”

“What I see is that you are too stubborn to admit that you’re jealous of it trying to communicate with me. Just because he listens to me and wants to be around  _ me  _ doesn’t mean he’s trying to “devour me” or whatever you want to call it. I’m not trying to come off as defensive or aggressive, but I think you’re dead wrong. And that’s about as honest as I can be.”

A moment of awkward silence passed between them, and the tension grew with each second. Slowly, Ansem stood up to collect his papers and shut his binder with a loud thud.

“I don’t have any more questions. My mind is made up. From now on, you will no longer interact with, or even go near the tank or the  _ predator  _ inside of it. Have I made myself clear?”

Roxas inhaled deeply. His heart rate spiked along with his anger and he needed to keep his composure. Ansem was wrong. He had no idea what he was talking about. Vanitas may have been strong and displayed predatory like behavior with the other scientists, but he was harmless and obedient to Roxas. Vanitas would not hurt him, nor anyone else if he asked him not to. He  _ wouldn’t. _

“Fine.”

He kept his eyes forward as Ansem walked past him and retreated to his office. The nerve of him. How dare he even  _ insinuate  _ that Vanitas would hurt him in any way? Fuck him.

With a frown, he turned in his seat to look at the tank. Vanitas was in his cave. Roxas raked his hand through his hair and started to bounce his leg again. Fuck Even too.

* * *

Roxas could say, without a doubt, that his worst moment inside that laboratory was the day he watched Ansem perform an “experiment” on him. He had quickly learned that experiment was just a fancy word for torture. What he was doing to Vanitas was brutal and downright cruel. He would be arrested and charged with animal cruelty if he were caught doing this to any other animal. What gave him the right to hurt Vanitas like that?

“Turn him around and try it again. This time try for thirty seconds,” Ansem called,

A large man in front of the tank began to turn a wheel. Vanitas, who had been pulled halfway out of the water and strung up by his wrists like some kind of twisted party decoration, was turned around so that he was facing him. His head hung low, his hair stuck to his face, and his breaths were shallow and ragged. He’d had enough, but they still wouldn’t stop.

The other scientist that stood on the ladder pulled the device in his hand up to shoulder height and pulled the trigger. A burst of flames shot out from the device and covered everything between Vanitas’ neck and the part of his body where skin and scales met. Roxas didn’t need to know how to speak mermaid in order to know that the scream that shook the lab was one of pure agony. It was in pain and none of them cared. None of them could see how sick and inhumane it was.

Thirty seconds later, the flames stopped. Any longer and Roxas might have thrown up. His eyes were already full of tears. There was a physical ache in his chest that would not go away and he hated it. He hated the stupid excuses they made for doing this to him.

“Dip him.”

The man walked to another wheel and turned it. Vanitas was lowered into the water. Just as it had before, the awful burn on the upper half of its body began to heal immediately. Soon, it looked as if it had never been burned. If it weren’t for the smell of burning flesh and the scientist holding the flamethrower—because a  _ flamethrower  _ was absolutely necessary and not something a depraved man would think of—Roxas would have had no evidence that what he’d seen had actually taken place. Six times.”

His eyes moved to Ansem, who was writing something down in a tablet. “Still no sign of the regeneration process slowing down. Turn it around and try for thirty-five.”

“Don’t you think that’s enough?”

Roxas cursed himself as Ansem looked at him over his shoulder. He’d meant to keep that one in his head, but since it was out there, he couldn’t do anything about it. “If I thought it was enough, I would have stopped.”

“And what do you gain from this? Each test run yields the exact same results: his skin regenerates from an  _ intentional burn  _ in under ten seconds. If you run the test again, the exact same thing will happen. If you run it a million times, the same thing will happen. So just stop.”

“I told you when we began that we would run the test ten times to be sure we had the most accurate results. You shouldn’t be surprised.”

Roxas wanted to hit something, he was so damn furious. “I’m not surprised, I’m pissed. You’re torturing him and none of you here can make me understand why. You don’t need to know how much fire he can withstand or how long he can withstand it. This is crazy. You are hurting him.”

Ansem’s eyes hardened. “Control yourself. It is not losing a limb, nor are we putting it through more than it can handle. We will stop when we reach the tenth test or once we see signs of distress.”

“Signs of dis—” Roxas laughed. He could feel himself stumbling closer and closer to the edge. He wasn’t sure how he’d gotten there, or what was on the other side of the cliff, but he knew the fall would not be pretty. He lifted a shaky hand and jerked his finger in the creature’s direction. “Are you trying to tell me that  _ this  _ doesn’t look like distress to you? Are you kidding me?”

Ansem dropped his tablet and pen down onto the table. He walked until he was inches away from Roxas, towering over him, but Roxas refused to be intimidated by him. “If you cannot separate your feelings from your scientific research then maybe you don’t need to be here.”

Roxas glared up at him with a mouth full of venom and eyes full of hatred. “If you can’t get it through your thick head that you are hurting him then maybe I don’t  _ want _ to be here.”

Ansem looked him up and down with a snort. “You’re willing to give up an internship here because you are in love with a  _ fish _ , boy?”

“ _ Fuck  _ you, you disgusting piece of shit—!”

“Whoa now,” Ienzo said calmly as he quickly pushed Roxas away by the shoulders. Again, he had appeared out of nowhere and Roxas hadn’t heard him approach. He kept his glare focused on Ansem until Ienzo gently took him by the chin and turned his head away. His eyes softened once he saw the look of concern on his face. Ienzo had been nice to him since day one. He could only hope that Ienzo understood what he was trying to say.

“Roxas,” he spoke slowly. “You need to calm down. I understand your frustration, but this is neither the time nor place to air it out. Breathe.”

It felt like he couldn’t. His chest was tight, his hands were shaking, and the urge to flip a table was getting harder and harder to suppress. “Please do not tell me you agree with this.”

Ienzo sighed. “Of course I don’t. I don’t like this any more than you do, but neither of us have much of a say in the matter. We can’t make him stop and we can’t tell anyone. I am under contract here so I can’t leave, but you can. If you genuinely can not stomach seeing this, it would be in your best interest to leave. However, doing so means you’ll be walking away from here not knowing what’s happening to him or what he’s doing.”

“I would be happy if I never heard anything about Ansem ever again,” he growled.

“I was talking about  _ Vanitas _ .”

Roxas’ shoulders relaxed at the sound of his name. He slowly came to realize that Ienzo had used  _ he  _ and called him by the name Roxas had given him. Finally, his words sank in. He was right. If Roxas left, he would never get to see him again. No one would call or email him to update him on any progress they made with him. No one would tell him if an experiment went wrong and he suddenly died. And he was sure Vanitas would miss him if he left.

“Grin and bear it, Roxas. You  _ have  _ to,” Ienzo tells him.

He nodded. He knew that he was right. No one would treat Vanitas the way that he did if he left. Despite the insanity, Roxas wouldn’t leave him alone in that godforsaken lab. He wasn’t going to abandon him.

“I’m going to have to come up with some bullshit apology, aren’t I?”

Ienzo laughed. “I know it may not seem like it, but he is a forgiving man. Apologize for losing your temper and all will be well.”

Roxas nodded again. He took several deep breaths and let them out slowly before returning to where Ansem stood. The way he stared down at him—arms folded, eyebrows raised as if he  _ expected  _ an apology—made Roxas want to spit in his face. He sucked in another breath and forced himself to make eye contact with him. “I apologize for the way I spoke to you. I reacted poorly and said things out of anger that I shouldn’t have.”

Ansem’s expression didn’t change. “Apology accepted. Do not let it happen again.” He returned to the table and picked up his tablet. 

Roxas tried to swallow it, to bury it deep down along with his newfound hatred for the man, but he couldn’t. He took a few hurried steps forward and blurted, “I still think you should discontinue this experiment. Just because it is an exotic species doesn’t mean you can mistreat it. If you wouldn’t do it to another human, a kitten, a puppy, a bird, or a snake, you shouldn’t do it to him. There is nothing you can say to get me to change my mind or back down. This is wrong.”

Ansem heaved a sigh. He turned to Roxas with a disappointed look, and he prepared himself for the worst.

“You’re right.”

Roxas’ head jerked back in surprise. Out of all the things he had expected him to say, that hadn’t even crossed his mind. “You’re...messing with me, aren’t you?”

“No, I am agreeing with you. If I saw someone performing these types of experiments on a human, I…” He shook his head. “I would not stand for it. You are right. I will not continue these experiments.”

Roxas stared in shock as Ansem instructed the scientists to release Vanitas and close the tank. Vanitas floated down to the bottom of the tank just as he had when he had been tranquilized. Except this time, he could hear the agonizing cry that echoed off the walls of the lab up until the tank was shut.

He looked back at Ienzo to see if he had been paying attention. The slate haired man offered him a small smile. Roxas returned it. Not only had he saved Vanitas from literal torture, he had finally gotten Ansem to admit that he was wrong. If he didn’t accomplish anything else during the rest of his time there, he would be proud of doing that alone.

* * *

Since Roxas was still not allowed to approach the tank, he was forced to watch as someone else opened the tank and lowered the platform of raw meat into the water. Roxas waited for what felt like hours for him to come out of his cave, but he never did. He was probably still mad at them. Vanitas had become a lot more standoffish, temperamental, and uncooperative as the days passed. Roxas had a feeling that he was still upset about the experiment from the other day, and he didn’t blame him if he was. He wouldn’t have wished that kind of treatment on anyone or anything.

The scientist near the tank sucked his teeth. “I hope he doesn’t expect me to wait here all day waiting for it to come out and eat. I still haven’t gone to lunch.”

Roxas looked around the lab and saw that they were the only two left inside. The gears in his head immediately started to turn. He saw his opportunity and sprinted towards it. He approached the scientist and tried to keep his expressions as neutral as possible. “Hey uh, Ienzo just sent me a message. Ansem says you can go up to lunch now.”

The man narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “He told me he didn’t want you here alone with the creature.”

“I won’t be. I’m gonna close the tank and meet you down there. I haven’t been to lunch either.”

That seemed to be enough for him. “Finally. I am starving. Have you noticed that I’m usually the last to leave for lunch? I went through all those years of school and got my doctorate only to get a job as a glorified fish keeper. Isn’t that nuts?” He scoffed and shook his head. “ _ Working with Dr. Wise is a dream _ , they said...”

Roxas chuckled dryly. By then, he was well aware of the fact that he wasn’t the only person annoyed by Ansem and his antics. “We all have to burn our idols.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” the man muttered bitterly. “I’ll see you up there, Roxas.”

“See you…” he called as the other man quickly left the lab. He waited patiently until he was outside of the door before grabbing the ladder from beside the tank and dragging it to the front. His heart raced as he ascended the ladder and leaned over the edge of the tank. “Vanitas?”

Nothing happened. There were no bubbles outside of the ones the tank filter made, no noise, and no sight of Vanitas. Roxas frowned. “No one else is here and there aren’t any cameras. It’s just me, I promise.”

Vanitas didn’t come out. He never slept as far as anyone knew. Either he was still hurt or he was ignoring him. He wouldn’t put the latter past him, but the thought of being ignored by him hurt. Roxas gripped the edge of the tank tightly. “Are you okay? Are you mad at me?”

At first, nothing happened. He waited and waited for the creature to leave his cave, but there was no sign of movement beneath the water. The second he decided to climb down and leave him alone, Vanitas poked his head out. Roxas smiled wide as he looked around the lab before slowly swimming to the top of the tank. His wild hair broke the surface of the water, and Roxas’ heart melted when he smiles brightly at him. Tears welled in his eyes as the creature approached him.

“Oh my god, I missed you,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry that Ansem’s being a dick. He’s like...convinced that you’re trying to eat me or something.”

Vanitas made a noise. He couldn’t tell what it was, but the look on his face was not happy.

Roxas smiled fondly. “You wouldn’t eat me, would you?”

Vanitas playfully clicked his teeth together. Roxas laughed harder than he had in weeks. Ever since he’d grasped the concept of jokes, he would make Roxas laugh every time they spoke.

“How have you been? Okay?”

The creature frowned and shook his head.

“I’m really sorry. I hated watching Ansem do that to you. You know that, right?”

Vanitas rolled his eyes, but nodded. All Roxas wanted was to clarify that he didn’t approve of that face to face. He didn’t think he’d understand, but he did. He’s much smarter than any of them give him credit for.

Roxas sighed in relief as he folded his arms on the tank’s edge and rested his chin on him. “He’s out of his mind, Vani. He accused me of being “in love with a fish” just because I didn’t want to see you flambéd. What a freak…”

Vanitas tilted his head to the side.

“Which part of that did you not understand. Freak?” 

Vanitas quickly shook his head.

“Out of his mind?”

He shook it again.

“In love with—”

Before he could finish, Vanitas quickly nodded his head.

“You don’t know what love is…?” Vanitas shook his head again. Roxas felt stupid for asking. He barely knew what love was. How did he expect  _ him  _ to know what it was? “It’s kind of hard to explain, but I’ll try my best. It can mean caring about someone or something a lot. It makes you really happy. You can love anything in the world. But... _ in  _ love is when it’s a person, and they make you  _ really  _ happy. You enjoy being around them, you put up with their bad moods and flaws. Just looking at them makes your heart beat faster.”

Vanitas perked up as he pointed towards the right side of his chest.

“You’ve got the general idea of a heart, yeah.” He stood up straight and pointed to his own chest.

Vanitas pulled his hand out of the water and pressed two figures against his chest. He was a little embarrassed that his heart was beating a mile a minute in there. The creature removed his hand and took hold of Roxas’ wrists. And Roxas watched curiously as he brought both of his hands up to his chest. With his palms flat against his chest, he was able to feel two separate heartbeats, each beating several times faster than Roxas’ own heart.

“Two…” he whispered. So that was why Vanitas had pointed where he did. He had  _ two  _ hearts. Roxas laughed softly in disbelief as he stared at his hands. “Is this what you wanted to show me?”

Vanitas slowly shook his head as he leaned his body forward, adding pressure to Roxas’ hands. His grip on his hands was tight and he was shaking. After some thought, he finally understood the message he was trying to get across.

“O-Oh! Oh, you’re…”

Vanitas hissed softly. It kind of sounded like a laugh. Roxas couldn’t help but smile. He appreciated the sentiment, but he knew that it just wasn’t possible. “I don’t think you love me, Vani. But it’s really cute that you think you do.”

The creature frowned and hissed sharply at him.

“Don’t be mad, but I really don’t think you understand. I didn’t explain it very well to begin with and probably just confused you.”

Vanitas let go of Roxas’ hands and swam closer until he was in Roxas’ face. He hissed softly, glaring at him with such an intense look of determination that he had never seen before. Being that close to him gave him chills. Seeing him so serious and concentrated, and yet knowing he was no threat to him, made his cheeks heat up. But if he wouldn’t back down from Ansem, he would  _ not  _ back down from Vanitas.

“I said what I said. You don’t love me.”

A low growl rumbled in the creature’s throat. Roxas only smirked and propped his chin in his hand. “Ooh, you’re  _ so  _ scary. I’m trembling,” he teased.

The sound of the lab door caught both of their attention. Vanitas hissed in its direction and dove under the water to retreat into his cave. Roxas, unfortunately, could not get down from the ladder fast enough.

“Roxas!”

He hurried back to the floor as quickly and as safely as he could and held back a sigh as Ansem stormed up to him.

“What did I tell you about going near the tank?!” he hissed.

“I know you’re upset but just listen to megor a second—”

“I don’t want to hear it! You deliberately disobeyed my orders to not go anywhere near the tank! I have explained the danger to you, and you put yourself in a position to be completely alone with it while the tank is open?! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?!”

“Dr. Wise,  _ nothing happened! _ I told you he wouldn’t hurt me! I even—”

“But what if something had happened?! What then?! How would I explain to your family that you were injured or killed by a creature that’s not supposed to exist?!”

Roxas’ hands curled into fists. “Can you just listen you me for  _ one second  _ without cutting me off?! It’s important!”

“What could possibly be more important than your insubordination?”

“It has two hearts!”

Ansem’s anger slowly faded from his features. He was clearly still upset, but his curiosity won the battle against his anger. “What do you mean it has two hearts?”

Roxas released a breath. Finally, he decided to listen to something other than the sound of his own voice. “He let me feel his heartbeat. He like...took my hands and put them on his chest. There were different heartbeats on either side of his chest and they were beating much faster than humanly possible. I thought that information would be useful.”

He saw Ansem’s jaw working. Part of him was afraid that that wasn’t enough to sate him. “How long were you alone with it?”

“I’m not sure. Five minutes, maybe? But I swear he didn’t do anything to me. He didn’t sing, he didn’t make me feel threatened, nothing. I think he even laughed at me.”

Ansem still did not look happy, but at least he was visibly less angry than he was when he reentered the lab. “I don’t like that you schemed in order to get it, but that is very useful information.” He glanced at the tank. “It’s the first piece of information we’ve gotten in a while since it refuses to let any of us near it.”

Surprise, surprise.

“It trusts you. I imagine it trusts you even more after you stopped the last experiment. So, if you’re still up for it, I’d like you to try and interact with it tomorrow.”

Roxas offered him a real smile. It felt weird after all that had happened between the two of them. He wanted to believe that Ansem was really listening to him. If he could put his ego aside, maybe they could work together after all. “Thank you, Dr. Wise.”

* * *

It was almost too good to be true. While Ansem watched from a distance, Roxas stood on the ladder and tossed peanuts to Vanitas. Whenever he’d successfully catch them in his mouth, he’d flip himself backward in the water to celebrate.

“Ready?”

Vanitas nodded. Roxas tossed the peanut and Vanitas caught it in his mouth. He screeched loudly and hit another backflip. His tail splashed Roxas with a bit of water for the umpteenth time. He didn’t care. He was just happy to see him happy.

When he surfaced, he crunched happily on the peanut and twirled in circles. The ache in Roxas’ chest grew as he watched. He smiled as he reached inside the bag for another, but came up empty handed. “Uh-oh. We ran out of peanuts.”

Vanitas suddenly frown as he swished his tail and splashed Roxas. He sputtered and scrubbed the water out of his eyes. “I can get more peanuts you jackass!”

Vanitas roared at him.

“You have  _ issues _ ,” Roxas hissed back. “I’ll come back when you learn how to be nicer.”

The creature growled as he lowered himself into the water until his eyes were just above the waterline. Roxas scoffed and shook his head, carefully descending the stairs. At the sound of Ansem’s laugh, he looked up at the scientist.

“What an interesting dynamic the two of you have. I was skeptical at first, but watching you two play games, laugh together, and bicker like friends...I don’t know what to say.”

Roxas folded his arms behind his back. “Has your opinion of him changed?”

Ansem’s eyes flicked up toward the ceiling. “I still believe that it is a natural predator who is capable of doing a lot of damage. It is cunning, calculated, and quick—physically and mentally. I wouldn’t dare let my guard down around it.”

Roxas’ shoulders sank. Why had he expected him to change his mind? “I respectfully disagree—”

“Let me finish. Please,” he spoke softly, and it was a shock to hear. “Many things about this creature still remain a mystery, and that in itself is enough for anyone to be afraid of it. However...I don’t believe it means you harm. I believe that you are something special to it. What I initially thought was it marking you as its prey now looks like it has imprinted on you.”

Roxas’ heart skipped several beats. “So...you’re saying I was right all along?”

Ansem smiles. “You were right, Roxas. I was stubborn and prideful and I should have listened to you. You’ve shown me things that I never would have seen without your help. I want to offer my sincerest apologies. And, if you’re not too upset with me for the way I’ve behaved, I’d like to invite you back full time after your internship has finished.”

He didn’t know what to say. A couple weeks ago, he would have flat out said no. The idea of spending more time with him than he was required to had been appalling, and he dreaded waking up on weekdays just to drag himself there. But Ansem had apologized. He admitted that he was wrong. He actually said please instead of barking orders at him. This was the Ansem he wanted to work with. This was the Ansem that felt more like the man he looked up to since very early on. And he had offered him a job.

Roxas grinned. “You’re warming up to me, aren’t you?”

“I see a lot of myself in you,” Ansem laughed. “You remind me of when I was young and eager, but also determined and full of heart. I let all of my success harden my heart, but you stood up to me. You were the first person in years who actually stood up to me and didn’t let your admiration or fear stand in the way of what you believe in. I would love to have someone like you to work with me on this project well into the future.”

Roxas released a breath. If he were to be completely honest with him…

“I’ll need some time to think about it. Ask me again at the end of the internship and I’ll have a definite answer for you.”

“A very wise decision. I can respect that.” Roxas watched as he reached into the pocket of his lab coat and handed him another plastic pack of peanuts. “And thank you for proving me wrong.”

Roxas accepted the peanuts with an easy smile, then turned to go back to the tank. Vanitas was waiting patiently for him, lazily swishing his tail back and forth with a pout on his face. He climbed the ladder slowly, pulled the pack open, and grabbed one with his index finger and thumb.

“Ready, Vani?”

* * *

The rest of the internship had been amazing. Ansem started to listen to him, and together they learned a lot about Vanitas. Ansem had concluded that his two hearts were connected to how quickly his body could regenerate itself after a wound. Roxas, on the other hand, thought that the rapid beating of the two organs increased blood flow and helped him filter out any toxins that entered his body faster. They didn’t exactly agree with each other, but they didn’t argue either. They decided to meet in the middle and mark both ideas down as possibilities.

Vanitas remained his cautious, angry, and moody when it came to the other scientists. Over the course of a few weeks, he did warm up to Ienzo. He would perk up every time he entered the lab, and watch him as he walked around. Unlike Roxas, who would play various games with him, Ienzo would sit next to the tank with a book and read to him or attempt to teach him sign language. Roxas himself didn’t know any sign language, but they learned how to say hello and goodbye to each other. His heart had never felt more warm the day Vanitas swam up to the tank and signed  _ hello  _ when he returned from his lunch break.

Every now and again, he’d think about the way Vanitas looked at him when he’d tried to tell him that he loved him. Roxas still thought he was confused...but the idea became a little less ridiculous every day.

Ansem allowed Vanitas to sing to him again under the condition that he could record it and play it back whenever he needed to. Roxas convinced Vanitas that it was okay. Ansem got his recording and Roxas was able to feel calm again. They figured out that Vanitas could control who was affected by his song after watching Ienzo, someone who had heard it twice without reacting to it, found himself stumbling toward the tank with a peaceful smile on his face. Based on his previous behavior, he only allowed his song to reach the people he trusted. 

And as for Roxas’ apparent memory loss that Ansem had attributed to the singing, he told him that Vanitas was probably trying to make him forget his fear via song so that he would be comfortable enough to talk to him the way that he did. Instead of it being a lure, it was reassuring them that he wouldn’t hurt them.

“Dr. Wise?”

Roxas had reached his very last day of the internship, and was surprised by how heavy his heart was. He’d spent the entire day looking around the laboratory thinking  _ I’ll never get to see any of this again  _ and it made him sad.

Ansem looked up from the document he was reading. He made  _ eye contact  _ and gave him his undivided attention. “Yes?”

His tone was softer when he spoke to him. That, along with everything else he’d been feeling over the past week, helped him make his decision.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about your offer just like I said I would and...I’d love to continue working with you, if you’ll have me.”

Ansem extended his hand over the table with a confident smile. Roxas took it and shook it firmly. “Welcome to the team, Dr. Kyōkan.”

_ Dr. Kyōkan _ ...he could get used to hearing that. He had been debating on whether or not he wanted to pursue his doctorate. He knew in that moment that he did.

“I’m excited to be a part of something so amazing,” he smiled back at him.

Ansem peered down at his watch as he rose from his seat. “We really should be heading home. Before I leave, I want to applaud you for all of your hard work. You’ve been a huge help and I never would have discovered any of the things I’ve learned if not for you. Thank you. I look forward to working with you.”

“And I with you.”

Roxas watched as Ansem began to gather his things. “I’m going to go on ahead. Could you please close the tank for me and restock the gloves before you leave?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. Good night, Roxas.” Ansem stops to look at the creature inside of the tank. “Good night, Vanitas.”

Vanitas roared and turned his back to him.

Roxas snorted. “It’s going to take him some time. Gaining his trust won’t be easy.”

Ansem smiled sadly. “I would not be surprised or offended if he never learned to trust me after what I’ve done. I hope he can one day understand that I regret what I’ve done.”

Truthfully, Roxas wasn’t counting on it. He had put Vanitas through a lot, but he, personally, appreciated the effort and supported his decision to introduce more ethical experiments to their daily routine.

Ansem left the lab. Before closing the tank, Roxas decided to grab the ladder one more time and climb up to see Vanitas. As soon as he reached the top, Vanitas met him there.

“Hey, Vani,” Roxas smiled, reaching his hand inside the tank to pet his head. Vanitas snapped his teeth at him. “Oh, don’t be a little shit…”

Vanitas’ hissing laughter echoed around the room.

“I came to tell you that I won’t be leaving after all. I have a job here now, so we’ll get to see each other all the time.”

Vanitas chirped softly, happily.

“I thought you’d like that,” Roxas laughed. “You won’t see me for a little while, but I’ll be back before you know it.”

The creature shook his head as inched closer to the edge of the tank. A soft whine left his lips as he grabbed Roxas by the wrists.

“It’s okay. It’ll only be two weeks.”

Vanitas shook his head again, more defiantly. Roxas tried to speak, but stopped when Vanitas began to sing. Just like before, his heart rate slowed, his eyelids grew heavy, goosebumps covered his skin, and the hairs on his arms and neck stood on end. But he was calm and he was happy to hear it.

“You don’t have to sing for me. I’m not sad,” Roxas told him, slurring his words as he did. He noticed that the edges of his vision began to darken. The only thing he could see was Vanitas, and he was the only thing he wanted to see. He sighed deeply as Vanitas leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his neck. He didn’t didn’t think twice about wrapping his own arms around the creature.

He felt himself falling, and it was such a nice feeling. Roxas clung to Vanitas, head resting on his shoulder as he slowly pulled him into the tank and under the water. The change in temperature was enough to shock him out of his trance. He immediately realized that his cell phone was in his coat pocket and began to panic. He pushed hard against Vanitas’ chest to get him to let go, but he wouldn’t. His arms were locked tightly around his neck and his grip was getting tighter.

Roxas thrashed desperately, kicking his legs, swinging his arms, pulling Vanitas’ hair, anything to get him to let go of him. His neck was starting to hurt and he wouldn’t be able to hold his breath for much longer.

The last thing he heard before everything went black was a loud crack. The pain and panic were no more.

* * *

When the body finally stopped moving, Vanitas carried it to the bottom of the tank and laid it flat. He used his talons to tear through the fabric on the body. A low growl slipped past his lips. Slowly, he began to shred the skin into ribbons and rip it from the bone with his teeth.

He enjoyed the soft middle. It was nothing like the tough, smelly meat that they fed him. It was still warm and smelled delicious. He took his time and savored every mouth-watering bite. Vanitas had refused to eat their disgusting food for weeks, but it was worth the starvation. He knew from the moment he’d laid eyes on this body that it would taste different than the rest and he had been right all along.

Vanitas happily licked the bones clean once he’d finished with his meal. He liked the way they looked. Smiling, he gathered some of the bones in his arms and pushed them into the muddy substance covering the bottom of the tank. 

It started to feel a bit more like home. He’d missed his pretty bones.

**Author's Note:**

> If you got this far and you’re upset with me, I completely understand. Happy Halloween LMAO


End file.
